Chapter 44: The Wind Moves
When Tan Xilu woke up, it was already noon. He shifted his body, and the coat covering him slid off onto the floor. He looked down and realized it was Li Zhao’s coat. He figured Li Zhao must have covered him when he fell asleep, fearing he might get cold.
He bent down to pick up the coat and brushed off the dust. This coat was quite warm; he hadn’t felt cold even sleeping in the corridor.
At this hour, the hospital was getting busier. On the first day of the year, a child had eaten something wrong and ended up in the hospital, crying and reluctant to get a shot. Even from a distance, Tan Xilu could hear the child’s miserable scream after the ruthless injection.
Suddenly, Tan Xilu remembered when he was a child, and his mother said he was afraid of shots. There was one time he had a cold, and his mother took him to get a shot. He had kicked the dentist so hard that the dentist lost a front tooth. Thinking about it, Tan Xilu couldn’t help but chuckle. Then he realized he was being a bit silly, checked his surroundings to make sure no one had seen his expression, and then stretched lazily before standing up.
Tan Qin’s ward was at the end of the corridor. Tan Xilu walked toward it, not knowing whether Tan Qin had awakened.
Next to Tan Qin’s ward was a water room. As Tan Xilu passed by, he saw a figure inside. He glanced inside casually and was surprised to see someone unexpected. He paused and softly exclaimed, “Lin Changyu?”
Lin Changyu was getting hot water, and when he heard someone calling him, he looked up. “Mr. Tan…”
“Why are you here?” Tan Xilu asked, somewhat astonished.
Lin Changyu and his stepfather had caused a commotion at the hospital before, and someone had taken pictures and posted them online. Later, it even made the news. He had heard that his stepfather’s company was investigated for tax evasion, and his stepfather was sent to jail. Now, only his two brothers were left.
Tan Xilu had been sick these days and had been staying at his parents’ house, so he hadn’t had the chance to confirm the situation.
“I saw the news,” Lin Changyu replied. “I came to see Tan Qin.”
“I see,” Tan Xilu said. “He’s already past the critical stage. You don’t need to worry.”
Lin Changyu nodded and said, “I know. He woke up a while ago and said he was a little thirsty, so I came to get him some water.”
He pursed his lips, paused for a moment, and then said to Tan Xilu, “Mr. Tan, Xiao Zhi and I are leaving.”
“Leaving?” Tan Xilu was taken aback. “Where are you going?”
“Have you seen the news? That man went to jail,” Lin Changyu said, hesitating for a moment, then continued, “Lin Manling… She bought two houses for Xiao Zhi and me in her hometown. Grandfather said we should go back to our hometown first, let Xiao Zhi continue his education, and I’ll find a job there. We’ll make plans for the future when Xiao Zhi grows up a bit more.”
“I see,” Tan Xilu thought for a moment and nodded. “That sounds like a good plan.”
“But what about you and Tan Qin…”
Tan Xilu knew that Lin Changyu liked Tan Qin, and comparatively, he liked the idea of Lin Changyu and Tan Qin together. After all, they were around the same age, both seemed like wounded puppies who could comfort each other, unlike Chi Yexing, who only seemed to cause more scars.
But love was a complicated thing, and Tan Qin liked Chi Yexing, so there was nothing that could be done about it.
Just like he couldn’t go looking for Li Zhao even though he and Xu Huaiming had separated.
The hot water was already filled, but Lin Changyu’s burn seemed to be bothering him again. Tan Xilu couldn’t bear to see it and said, “I’ll go to the pharmacy and buy some burn ointment for you.”
“No need,” Lin Changyu declined. “Rinsing it with cold water will do.”
Well, that’s how he had always done it before.
“But it’s better to use the ointment,” Tan Xilu said. “It helps with faster healing. What if it gets infected?”
Without waiting for Lin Changyu’s reply, Tan Xilu left to buy the medicine, leaving Lin Changyu standing there. He looked at Tan Xilu’s disappearing figure at the door and sighed helplessly.
A couple of minutes after Tan Xilu left, Lin Changyu heard the sound of footsteps in leather shoes. His hand no longer hurt much, so he turned off the water and placed the cup down. He walked out of the water room.
Chi Yexing came out of Tan Qin’s ward, looking a bit impatient. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, seemingly forgot that smoking wasn’t allowed in the hospital, and then put the cigarettes back with a frustrated expression. Finally, he opened the nearby window to get some fresh air.
Lin Changyu didn’t like Chi Yexing at all. He didn’t like him from head to toe. He wore a formal suit and acted respectfully to everyone on the surface, but behind their backs, he was a ruthless demon who devoured people without leaving any bones. In their eyes, money and interests always came first.
Lin Changyu approached with a cup of hot water, walking past Chi Yexing. Chi Yexing noticed him and put on a friendly smile, “You’ve been working hard. Tan Qin is inside; you can go in.”
Lin Changyu walked to the door of the ward but didn’t go inside. Instead, he looked at Chi Yexing and asked, “Do you regret it?”
Chi Yexing was briefly stunned, then realized what Lin Changyu meant. He looked at Lin Changyu with a complex expression and said, “You…”
Lin Changyu stared directly at him with an icy tone, “Chi Yexing, do you also play with him? Because his mother asked you to help him. Tan Qin is a mischievous kid, and you find it challenging to deal with such a child, but you can’t refuse because he’s your teacher’s child. Then you unintentionally discover that Tan Qin likes you, and you think you can use that to your advantage. You make him believe he has a chance while cruelly telling him that you’re straight and don’t like men.”
“Chi Yexing, you should stop tormenting him if you really have no interest in him.”
The surroundings suddenly became quiet, as if they were in a vast, nauseating black hole, and a small child heartlessly exposed Chi Yexing’s true thoughts. This made Chi Yexing feel like something inside him had been punctured, making him briefly disgusted with himself.
In reality, he was just a rotten person. Who would like him?
He saw Lin Changyu’s clear eyes, like a clean mirror reflecting his face. Inside those eyes lived something dirty, the same face but a body filled with desire.
He was just a small moth
, climbing the pyramid using any means possible, stepping on the shoulders stained with the blood of many. Layer by layer, he reached the top of the pyramid and became the envied butterfly.
But he had come this far, and there was no turning back now.
He squinted at Lin Changyu and said, “So what? He still likes me, doesn’t he?”
The hatred in the young man’s eyes was not concealed at all. His eyes turned into those of a poisonous snake, glaring at the arrogant and conceited Chi Yexing. He sought an opportunity to bite him at his weak point, to inject venom, making him suffer to the point of no return.
Unfortunately, Chi Yexing was too powerful, and he was just a little snake. He couldn’t threaten Chi Yexing.
He sighed and said, “I’ll go to the pharmacy and buy some burn ointment for you.”
“No need,” Lin Changyu declined. “Rinsing it with cold water is enough.”
He had done it this way before.
“But where will you go?” Tan Xilu said. “I’ll buy the medicine for you. It heals faster with the ointment. What if it gets infected?”
Without waiting for Lin Changyu’s answer, Tan Xilu left, leaving Lin Changyu standing there, sighing helplessly.
Tan Xilu didn’t see Lin Changyu in the water room, so he guessed he had returned to the ward. With the ointment in hand, he went to the ward. At the entrance, he saw Chi Yexing.
Chi Yexing’s expression looked terrible, like he was angry, but when he saw Tan Xilu, he quickly composed himself and said, “You’re awake?”
Tan Xilu nodded and said, “I’ve been awake for a while. I just went downstairs to buy some medicine.”
Chi Yexing nodded and added, “There’s something going on at Li Zhao’s house, so I’m heading back. He told me in advance. I’ll have the driver take you when you’re ready to leave.”
“No need to trouble yourself. It’s easy to get a taxi here. I can go back on my own,” Tan Xilu declined.
“No trouble at all. Besides, you’re Tan Qin’s teacher. If you hadn’t informed us last night, we wouldn’t have known anything,” Chi Yexing insisted.
“That’s true,” Tan Xilu said. “I heard that Tan Qin woke up. I haven’t seen him yet.”
“Yes, he woke up and is inside, along with his friend. Just go in directly,” Chi Yexing said.
“Alright,” Tan Xilu replied. “Thank you.”
Tan Qin was wrapped up like a mummy, with only his face visible. Lin Changyu was carefully moistening his lips with a cotton swab. Tan Xilu noticed that Lin Changyu was using his sleeve to cover the injured hand, probably not wanting Tan Qin to see it.
The doctor had advised against drinking water after surgery, but Tan Qin was a bit thirsty, so this was the only method available.
Seeing Tan Xilu arrive, Tan Qin managed to force a smile and said, “Mr. Tan is here.”
“How are you feeling?” Tan Xilu sat on the adjacent hospital bed and joked, “You just arrived at the hospital last night. According to Li Xuandie’s description at the time, we almost thought you were done for.”
“She tends to exaggerate,” Tan Qin replied. “I’m feeling better now, but my chest still hurts a bit. I need some time to recover.”
“That’s good,” Tan Xilu said. “After surgery, you need to focus on recovery, listen to the doctors, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Don’t be stubborn. Professor Tan will handle things with the school later, so you can rest assured and concentrate on healing.”
T/N: Wishing you all a good October! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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